


i'll find my way back to you

by trappedoutside124



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Pepper Potts as Rescue, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Rescue, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 02:55:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17275784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trappedoutside124/pseuds/trappedoutside124
Summary: "Cause even underneath the wavesI'll be holding on to youAnd even if you slip awayI'll find my way back to you"Pepper and Rhodes aren't going to give Tony up without a fight.Inspired by the song "Find My Way Back" by Eric Arjes





	i'll find my way back to you

**Author's Note:**

> PLEEEAAASE listen to "find my way back" by Eric Arjes before/after/while you read this fic. It's inspired by the song and it makes me cry when I listen because it can be applied to SO MANY relationships between the avengers post-infinity war. Thank you for reading & and let me know what you think in the comments!

It had taken Pepper no more than five minutes after she received the radio transmission to decide to go to space and get Tony back. 

He would have done the same for her. 

The group--what was left of them--had been at the Avengers compound when FRIDAY alerted them of an incoming message. The group had stood there shellshocked as they listened to Tony's final goodbye. By the time Tony was finished, Pepper had already made up her mind. She didn't say anything to anyone; she just turned and began to walk out the door. Rhodes, however, blocked her path. 

"Pepper, wait," he said, catching her by the wrist as she was about to leave, "you can't go--" 

"Don't even try to stop me, James," she interrupted, twisting her wrist out of his hand. "Everything we used to know just crashed into one big great unknown. All that I know for sure is that the man I love has less than one day left to live and I don't intend to spend that time sitting here and crying. I'm going to find a way back to him." She was cut off by the lump growing in her throat. Rhodes let her finish before he spoke again. 

"You should've let me finish. I wasn't going to say you can't go. I was going to say you can't go _alone_. I'm going with you." Rhodes said with a serious expression. 

"How do you guys plan on getting out there? We can help," Steve said, moving to Pepper's side. Rhodes put a hand on the man's shoulder and shook his head. 

"Sorry, Steve, but you actually can't. Pepper and I have suits that can get us there and back. Tony didn't make any for you guys that could withstand space because...," Rhodes paused before continuing, unsure of if it would be worth it to finish the sentence. He sighed and continued: "...because he wasn't sure if you were coming back." 

Steve stood there dumbstruck at first, eyes wide. Then, he tucked his head and nodded. Not waiting another minute, Pepper took off towards Tony's workshop. "Don't give up on me, Stark," she whispered over and over under her breath, hoping that some force could send her words across the universe. She got there moments before Rhodes and began entering the passcode. 

"FRIDAY, you got a specific location for Tony yet?" Rhodes asked as Pepper put in the numbers. The AI answered as the doors to the workshop split apart. 

"Working on it, Colonel. Give me two more minutes!" 

Rhodes jogged over to Tony's desk, reaching around the clutter until he found a silver remote. At the press of the button, one of the walls turned around to reveal two suits encased in a glass box. One was all black and chrome. The other was red and gold and was distinctly smaller than the other suits Tony had made. One more press of the button and the cases rescinded. Pepper was speechless as she walked up to the one obviously made for her and ran her fingers over the detailing. It was smooth and shining yet durable; it looked like a work of art.

"He called it the Rescue Armor. He made it for you to wear. It's able to withstand anything, including space travel." Rhodes said from behind her. Pepper just nodded, not trusting herself to open her mouth without crying. 

"Got his location, Colonel," FRIDAY called out. Rhodes quickly headed towards his suit. 

"Let's do this," he said firmly. FRIDAY opened the suit for him and he stepped into it, the suit snapping back into place with a satisfying click after him. The Rescue suit did the same for Pepper. The woman pulled her hair into a bun before stepping into her suit. Around her, the head display lit up. The suit seemed to mold to her body, fitting every part of her in metal. Instead of being clunky and heavy, it was like wearing a second skin. Rhodes quickly gathered up supplies from around the compound to attach to his suit: extra oxygen tanks, a medical kit, and food and water. Once he had enough supplies, he met Pepper back at the lab. 

"Let's go get our boy back," Pepper said to Rhodes.

"You know how to fly this thing?" he asked as they headed outside. 

"I'm a quick learner," she lied. Steve and the others were already outside waiting for them. 

"Bring him home, Pepper," Bruce said. Her helmet fell back into place and she nodded. Then, she turned to look at Rhodes, who nodded at her as well. 

"I'm on my way now, Tony," she thought to herself. Out loud, she let FRIDAY know that they were ready to go. Then, she felt the rockets under her feet light up. In a second she was off the ground and into the sky. 

"How long until we get to Tony?" Rhodes asked FRIDAY through his headset. 

"About four hours, Colonel," the AI replied. 

"Anyway we can make that three?" 

"I can try." 

And so the two of them took off into space. They both broke through the atmosphere quickly, leaving the Earth behind. And although Pepper's heart was in her throat, she didn't stop to look behind her. "One step closer to you, Tony. Don't give up on me." she said to herself. She pushed all of the energy she had through the universe in an attempt to let Tony know somehow that she was coming to rescue him. "We're gonna be alright." 

One hour passed, and then two. Rhodes and Pepper had FRIDAY doing autopilot for the two of them. The suits were like mini-spaceships rocketing through the stars, dodging space debris and gravitational fields. Tony truly had outdone himself with these suits; they were some of the best ones he'd ever made. After the life-altering events of two years ago, Tony did his usual strategy of burying his feelings and using work as therapy instead of actually addressing the pain brought on by Siberia. He threw himself into making new suits for everyone in his life. And, despite that rift between them, he even made new gear for the Rogue Avengers who had gone off the grid. 

Now, those suits produced out of anger and sadness would end up saving his life. 

Three and a half hours later, Pepper and Rhodes were still flying through empty space. "FRIDAY, how close are we?" asked Pepper anxiously. 

"Pep, look," Rhodes said breathlessly. In the distance the two of them could see a lone ship silhouetted by the light of the stars. It was floating slowly towards them, ominously dark against the light of the stars.

"Tony," Pepper breathed out in response. The two of them sped ahead, hearts in their throats. They slowed down as they got to the ship, unsure of how to get in. 

"FRIDAY, is there a door or an air-lock on this thing?" Rhodes asked, flying around the ship in a circle. 

"Just below you there should be an airlock. If you place your hand on top of it, I think I can unseal it without sending the contents of the ship flying into space." Rhodes flew up to the ship and placed his hand on the door on its underbelly, just like the AI told him. Slowly, he felt the metal of the door begin to flex under his fingers. "Your suit can change the molecular arrangement of objects. You two should be able to move through the metal and into the ship without having to open the door" the AI reported. 

"Tony, you're a genius," Rhodes said to himself. He slowly pushed his body towards the now-warping metal in front of him. Pepper sucked in a breath as she watched her friend pass through it like it was water. Quickly, she followed suit. A second later, she was on the ship. Both suits opened up and allowed Rhodes and Pepper to step out. Rhodes immediately reached for the oxygen tanks pressed up against his suit. He opened up two of them into the air of the ship, flooding it with oxygen. The other three tubes he saved for Tony. Pepper had already begun to roam around, calling her fiancé's name. 

"Tony?" she called frantically. "Are you--whoa!" she was pushed back by a bald woman into the side of the ship, a knife pressed to her throat. 

"Who are you and how did you get on my ship," the woman growled in a low voice. Pepper, still in shock, could barely get any words out. She heard the click of Rhodes' hand gun from beside her. 

"Let her go. We're here for Tony Stark and we know he's on this ship," he commanded to the woman. Her eyes grew wide and she quickly removed her elbow from Pepper's neck, allowing the woman to suck in air. 

"You're Stark's friends? He's over here." The woman led the two of them to a separate room in the ship. There, on a small cot in the corner, laid Tony Stark. He was pale and sweaty and covered in dirt. 

He was alive. 

"Dear god," Rhodes said to himself, rushing out to grab one of the oxygen tanks and a mask. 

"Honey, can you hear me?" Pepper asked, dropping to her knees beside the man. He opened his eyes and slowly looked at Pepper. 

"Pep?" he croaked out, lazily reaching a hand up to touch her arm. 

"Yeah, it's me," she said back, cupping one side of his face. Tears rolled down her eyes in waves. Rhodes ran back into the room and quickly attached the mask to Tony's mouth and nose and began the flow of oxygen. 

"Y-you're not real. I'm h-hallucinating again," Tony stuttered out, eyes rolling closed again. "Nebula, w-where are you?" 

"I'm right here, Stark. And they're real." The woman said from behind them. "And I hope they're going to help get us home." Nebula watched as Pepper swept a hand across Tony's forehead, wiping away sweat and grime. "Did you two bring us food?" she asked Rhodes. He quickly nodded and left the room to get the other supplies. He lugged in a few giant canisters of water as well as a box of dried fruit and crackers that could survive travel in deep space. Nebula's stomach growled at the sight of the food and immediately tore open a bag of crackers, shoveling them into her mouth. Rhodes took a bag and knelt down next to Tony. 

"Rhodey?" Tony asked, voice a little steadier now that he had a constant flow of oxygen. The air was getting easier to breathe as the other tanks Rhodes had opened in the ship began to flow through the vents. 

"Yeah, it's me," Rhodes said with a smile, lifting the mask off so he could give his friend some food, "C'mon, you went to space and didn't even invite me?" 

Tony closed his eyes and smiled as he began to chew. "Didn't think you'd want to come." 

Rhodes smiled back and gave Tony a sip of water. "I want to be by your side, no matter where you go." As the oxygen and food gave Tony more and more energy, he began to fully realize that Pepper and Rhodey were really there. After a few minutes of Rhodes and Pepper silently watching Tony and Nebula eat and drink, Tony finally sat up on his own and truly looked at his two friends in front of him.

"You're really here, aren't you," he breathed out, looking Pepper up and down. She smiled through fresh tears and nodded. Tony pushed himself out of the cot and onto the floor next to Pepper, pulling off his mask and pushing away the food in his lap. He gathered her in his arms and hugged her as hard as he could, pressing kisses into her cheek. He smelled like sweat and blood and dirt and metal and Pepper decided that she hadn't smelled anything better in her whole life. Rhodes made his way over as well, wrapping his arms around the both of them. Half of the whole universe was now erased, but the three of them were alive. And they were alive for a _reason_. 

Tony sat there basking in the presence of his best friends when something suddenly occurred to him. He jolted back with wide-eyes. 

"You can't be here," he said frantically, eyes moving quickly between both of them. "Our ship is dead and we're floating through empty space. We're all going to die," Tony pulled the two of them off the ground and began to haul them back to the suits. "Get back in and leave. I won't let you die with me." 

Rhodes pushed Tony off of him. "Tony, breathe. I know how we can get back. But it may require me destroying my suit."

"What do you mean?" Nebula asked, pushing off the wall where she'd been observing the reunion. 

"Tony and I, with FRIDAY's help, can use the suit he made me as spare parts to fix whatever's wrong. It can't be too hard." 

Tony just stared at the man. "You want to tear apart the suit I made for you?" he exclaimed. Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose. "That took me almost two months! I cried over that suit!" 

"Tony, this is life or death. You can build me another one." 

"Yeah, but I can't build you another one like _that!_ " 

"Are you seriously arguing with me over this while we're floating through space with no other way to get home?" 

"Boys! Can we please focus?" Pepper and Nebula yelled at the same time. The men turned to stare at the women, who looked exasperated. Pepper gave Tony the look that she had been giving him for nearly a decade, a look that said "can we please get on with things and can you _please_ just act like a rational human being?" Tony sighed. 

"FRIDAY, re-route the power from Rhodey's suit to the power processor of this ship. Take over main controls and let us know what the problem is and when you've fixed it," Tony commanded. "Oh, and it's good to have you back." 

"Good to see you too, boss. Already on it!" The AI replied happily. The group watched as the Rhodes' suit powered completely off, sparks of electricity jumping from it. Slowly, the side panels of the ship began to light up. The control panels next to the captain's chair sputtered to life. The purr of the engine rumbled under their feet. Nebula's stomach flipped as she saw the ship begin to come alive again. "I took the functions of Colonel Rhodes' suit and rerouted them into the ship's hardware. I'm now in full control of the ship, boss." 

"Take us to Earth," Nebula commanded to the robotic voice. The ship suddenly lurched to the side as it turned around. Tony grabbed the wall to steady himself and winced, grabbing at the wound on his stomach. Pepper took him by the arm and led him back to the cot he was laying on. 

"You need to lie down," she said, forcing him back down. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down with him. She let herself fall into the crook of his arm, careful to not cause him too much pain. They were both silent for a few moments. 

"They're all gone, Pepper," Tony whispered as he looked at the ceiling, "Nebula and I are the only ones left. God, even Peter." His chest began to rise and fall quickly and his breaths shortened 

"Don't talk about that right now. We'll have time to talk about that back home with Steve and the others." Pepper said, sitting up so she could see his face. Tony's breathing slowed and wide eyes focused onto Pepper. 

"Steve? As in Rogers? As in Captain America?" 

"Yep. Him and the rest of the Avengers--well, the original ones anyway--are at the compound waiting for us." 

Tony let his eyes close and his head roll back and pulled Pepper closer into him. "Thank you for coming to get me," he whispered with a voice coated in emotion. 

"I'd chase you into the dark, Tony Stark. I'll always find my way back to you." Pepper responded, pressing a kiss to the man's cheek. She closed her eyes as well, letting exhaustion overtake her. She was about to fall asleep when Tony spoke up drowsily. 

"You know, that suit looks really hot on you." 

And Pepper laughed a real, genuine laugh for the first time in days. 


End file.
